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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29316291">Pieces of Silly, Useless Joy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNoMyBreadsticks/pseuds/OhNoMyBreadsticks'>OhNoMyBreadsticks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bready's S&amp;S Bingo Fills [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mentioned Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Mentioned Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Multi, Polyamory, Shopping, Stuffed Toys, learning to treat yourself, the gang unlearns some toxic masculinity/ageism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:08:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,771</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29316291</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNoMyBreadsticks/pseuds/OhNoMyBreadsticks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a shopping trip to prepare for Ciri's first proper visit, Jaskier has to help Geralt and his friends learn that you're never too old to treat yourself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher), Eskel &amp; Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia &amp; Lambert, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bready's S&amp;S Bingo Fills [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141505</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sugar and Spice Witcher Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pieces of Silly, Useless Joy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to my Sugar and Spice bingo fill for 'Stuffed Animals'! Initially this was just gonna be a Geralt/Jaskier fic kind of inspired by the wonderful build-a-bear fic I've seen on tumblr, but I wanted to put more of a spin on it so I added in the wolfpack and the off-screen geraskefer twist C: I'm just such a sucker for geraskefer happy family adopting Ciri!! </p>
<p>The tag for 'toxic masculinity/ageism' seems a little wild and harsh but I didn't know how else to explain that this is a little story about starting to unlearn that idea that you're 'too old' for toys, or that dudes can't enjoy cutesy stuff. All very silly imo, everyone should be able to enjoy a nice cuddly friend!! Also the stuffed animals in this story are almost all based on actual ones I own lol, including IKEA horse that is barely horse shaped, and ball-shaped fox!</p>
<p>Hope you enjoy :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jaskier was definitely the most excited participant of this little shopping expedition. Geralt was excited too, of course, but he was more than a little nervous. Understandable, of course, because Ciri was finally coming to stay with them. Not permanently, not yet, but for a week, which was their longest visit yet. This visit would determine if it was feasible for her to stay with them in a more permanent capacity. Jaskier was certain the three of them would make fantastic parents, but he’d always been the more optimistic out of all of them. Yennefer and Geralt, well, they were handling things in their own ways. Mainly, Yennefer was cleaning and organizing the whole house over again, and had kicked the two boys out to do the shopping.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In order to hopefully get Geralt more excited and less nervous, Jaskier had recruited his friends to come along and help them with the shopping. That was his only motive, having extra help to carry heavy stuff to the car was absolutely not a part of this plan. Definitely. Lambert and Eskel had been more than happy to come along with them to the store, since they were also terribly fond of Ciri. Jaskier had always been privately a tiny bit jealous of the strong bond Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert had, forged by their experiences growing up together in a private home for, well, as Lambert put it ‘kids who didn’t have anywhere else to go on account of being pains in the asses’. Jaskier knew that wasn’t true, but he still admired their friendship.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The four of them bundled out of the car, Eskel and Lambert laughing over something Lambert’s boyfriend had texted him. It turned out to be a picture of their cat laying sprawled out on top of the fridge like he was dying of hunger. Jaskier also got a good laugh out of it as they grabbed a few shopping carts and made their way inside. They didn’t have to get too much furniture, since that was all getting shipped to the house, but all the other necessities, like bedding, towels, toiletries, and accessories for the room still had to be purchased. Geralt had a list, which he was clutching like a lifeline.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The death grip luckily got a little looser as things began to pile up in the cart, and it began to seem as though Ciri wouldn’t be sleeping on a bare mattress on the floor. Not that that had even been a realistic fear, but Jaskier knew Geralt well enough to know that he often fantasized about the worst possible outcomes. And having Lambert and Eskel along for the ride </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> lighten the mood, as they argued over whether Ciri should have puppies or butterflies on her blankets (they ended up with both), or if she’d like brown sugar soap or tropical paradise soap (Geralt just picked the lavender kind Yennefer always got). By the time the shopping carts were all but full, Geralt had almost managed to lose his anxious frown entirely, replacing it with a hopeful smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Spotting a familiar aisle, Jaskier turned his cart into the toy section, announcing “Time to pick out some plushies!” He had been excited for this part of the trip since he had seen ‘toys’ written on Geralt’s list. Of course toys weren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> the soft and cuddly type, but those were the important ones in Jaskier’s opinion. The shelves in this aisle were lined with stack upon stack of potential friends, and he couldn’t help but let out an excited gasp. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh!! This one is perfect!” He exclaimed, hopping over and holding up a purple dragon with floppy wings and a sheepish looking grin. It even had sparkly little golden claws, which Jaskier could already imagine painting their own nails to match. Ciri had always expressed an interest in fantasy stories, especially at bedtime, so Jaskier was sure she would love to have a cuddly companion when she listened to a new story every evening this week. Geralt was watching his boyfriend’s antics with a fond smile, and he gestured over towards the cart to indicate that Jaskier should add it to the pile. Having deposited the dragon, Jaskier spun around and spotted a little fox with a body as round as a ball and fur that was so soft and luxurious, his fingers sunk in as he picked it up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And this little buddy will be my shopping treat!” He announced with a beaming smile. That got a confused look out of Geralt, who did his signature ‘I’m not sure what you mean’ head tilt. Jaskier stopped mid celebration to look at Geralt, then over at the other two, who seemed similarly baffled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, like, a little treat for doing a good job shopping?” Jaskier tried to put it into different words, hoping that would help. It turned out that the shopping treat wasn’t the problem, as Eskel piped up and said “Don’t you want like...an iced coffee or a phone case or something? Something more...adult.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His voice carried none of the judgement or malice that would have gotten Jaskier’s hackles up, so instead of snapping at the larger man, Jaskier simply frowned. “Wait, you guys don’t have any plushies?” He asked, “Ones you’ve bought with your own money, not just the ones from when you were kids?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A trio of shaking heads gave Jaskier the answer he had been dreading, and he clutched the fox to his chest to give him strength. “Have you </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> had plushies?” He asked, because that was suddenly a fear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That had Lambert snorting as he answered, “Yeah, we had toys as a kid. Ves wasn’t a monster. Eskel had this little sheep he wouldn’t let go of when he was little.” That got an embarrassed mutter of “It was a goat” out of Eskel, and another confirmation nod from Geralt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But we got rid of them when we got older. There just wasn’t a point to them, you know?” Lambert continued, shrugging.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jaskier’s heart broke as looked between the three men, thinking about all the harmless fun they had been denying themselves. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well I think…” Jaskier said, trying to make sure he used the right words here, “I think you should still have nice things, even if there’s no point to them. And anyways, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>point</span>
  </em>
  <span> of a plushie is to make you smile. They’re soft, and cute, and you can hug them when you’re sad or happy or just when you want to!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was still some wavering doubt on Geralt’s face, so Jaskier cast his eyes along the shelf and snagged a little brown horse before thrusting it into his boyfriend’s hands. Whoever had designed this horse had clearly never seen a real horse, as its legs were misshapen and its mouth was definitely wrong. But it still had big round eyes and a look of unrealistic joy on its face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t there something nice about this one? It kind of looks like Roach even!” Jaskier said, trying to prod Geralt along by referencing the horse he kept out at the ranch. His boyfriend looked down at the little horse, turning it around in his hands and squinting critically. Jaskier knew he had won when Geralt adjusted the little bow on the horse’s tail, making sure it was tied properly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> pretty cute” He admitted shyly, and Jaskier let out an excited little whoop. Quietly, of course, because they were in a store. But any time he could give his boyfriend something nice, he had to celebrate. Especially when it was a piece of silly, useless joy. Those were the most important. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Next, Jaskier turned his eyes to Lambert and Eskel - who, seeming to realize their fate, both turned their attention to the toys on the shelf. By the time they made it to the register, Ciri had a pile of toys, and Eskel and Lambert were each carrying their own prize. Lambert had his pirate cat balanced on his shoulder like a parrot, but Eskel was holding his little stuffed lamb like it was a real animal he needed to care for. Jaskier’s smile was bright enough to light up the whole parking lot when Geralt carefully installed the little horse on the dashboard and gave its nose a little pat. He couldn’t wait to share the good news with Yennefer when they got home. Well, the good news </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> the little grumpy crow plushie. Because they all deserved a little bit of softness in their lives.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As usual, Lambert was confident about his own emotions all the way until he had to show them to someone he cared about. The closer he got to the apartment he shared with his boyfriend, the dumber the pirate cat sitting on the seat next to him felt. He considered just stuffing it in the trash, but screwed up his courage and tucked it under his arm instead as he went inside. </span>
  <span></span>
    <br/>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hey Lamb!” Aiden greeted from the living room, setting down his game controller to stand up and greet his boyfriend, “Welcome home!” Lambert gladly let himself get pulled into a hug, part of his stress already melting away. It was hard to feel too embarrassed when you were being lovingly cradled by your incredibly hot and thoughtful boyfriend. His heart did skip a beat when Aiden pulled back and tugged the cat plushie free from under Lambert’s arm.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And who is this little guy?” He asked, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Lambert cleared his throat and answered “He’s uh, Jask had us all buy plushies at the store. Thought he was kinda cute. Silly though, right?” There, that was enough hedging to get away from any teasing that might ensue. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of teasing though, Aiden handed the plushie back and held up a finger for Lambert to wait as he scurried off. There were sounds of distant rummaging through drawers, and before Lambert could properly panic, Aiden returned with a battered stuffed rabbit in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ta-da! I’ve had this guy since college, an ex got him for me but I’ve been through so much with the little guy at this point...I couldn’t bear to get rid of him.” Aiden explained with a smile, holding the rabbit up for Lambert’s inspection. And suddenly, just like that, the world was right again. Lambert was grinning as he made his cat shake hands with Aiden’s rabbit, and the sound of delighted laughter filled the room. He had a feeling they were at the beginning of a wonderful new collection.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!! I knew I had to include the little lambden epilogue because the idea wouldn't leave my brain. But also good to imagine is Yennefer dramatically swooping around the house in her biggest gown with her crow plush, pretending to be a sorceress as Ciri cheers and Geralt and Jaskier look on with heart eyes ;)</p>
<p>Any and all kudos or comments at any time will be loved and cherished, although never required &lt;3 I reply to all my comments, even if it takes me a few days! I'm available on <a href="https://ohnomybreadsticks.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> if you ever feel like chatting or reading some of my lil drabbles, I’d love to see you there C:</p></blockquote></div></div>
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